Small Business Copywriting-Grab Their Attention

When you are writing sales copy for an ad, a brochure, or the Internet, there are many very important things to keep in mind. If it’s a web page you need to use keywords to get good placement in the search engines. You always need to make the benefits of your product crystal clear. You need to keep your potential customers’ needs in mind. First and foremost, once a visitor has found your ad or your page, you need to get his attention.

The most obvious way to do this is through the use of a headline. It is (or should be) the first thing on the page and the first thing a visitor will see. Obviously you need to make it large enough and bright enough to attract attention. But what you write there should also get attention and make the reader want to read more.

The Headline

With all of the information available these days, users are accustomed to finding what they need quickly. Studies show that you only have about 4 seconds to get a reader’s attention. With that in mind your headline better be nothing less than stellar. Here are some ideas for an attention-grabbing headline.

* Solve a problem for the reader. You will definitely need to do this within your copy but using this technique in your headline can work as well. Just be careful not to give too much away. The idea is to make the reader want to continue reading.

* Ask a question. The answer should be your product or service or something that it does.

* Make people mad. Not at you but at a situation that your product or service can solve. If you sell a product that helps people start a home business, for example, use a headline that discusses the negative aspects of working a regular job.

* Use exciting words. Adjectives such as “astonishing,” “fascinating,” “exclusive,” and “phenomenal” get the reader fired up about your product or service.

Other Opportunities to Grab Their Attention

While the headline is vitally important, it is not the only place you can get attention. Interested readers will often skim over your page or ad instead of reading it word for word. That means that you can also use subheads and bulleted lists to get attention.

Subheadings break up the text and divide it into convenient sections making it easier to read. They do not have to be as short as the main headline but should be to the point. You can also use sub-subheadings but be sure to make each level of heading progressively smaller font to avoid confusion.

Bulleted lists present information in an easy to read format. They are ideal for lists of product benefits or problems that your product can solve. Lists should not run together however. Each one needs to be clearly identified.

Bold, highlighted and italic text and CAPITALIZATION can provide variety and call attention to important words or points. But they should be used sparingly especially in the case of capitalization. All caps are considered yelling so it’s best to capitalize only one word every so often.

Underlining should be reserved for linking text in online sales letters. When people see something underlined on a web page they expect it to be a link. Underlining words other than links or failing to underline those that are links can be confusing and frustrating.

Getting the attention of your reader is essential to the success . Using powerful headlines and calling attention to major points within the copy can draw your reader in and make him want to learn more. That is an essential first step to getting an order.